Elon Musk Confirms Tesla Roadster Breakneck Acceleration With Optional SpaceX Tech

A prototype Roadster is currently on display at Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and the plaque below the vehicle reads as follows:

Demonstrating the versatility of electric power and adding extra distinction to the car's already high performance, an announced SpaceX package would outfit the Roadster with cold air rocket thrusters positioned at the rear, allowing for a 0-to-60-mph acceleration time of 1.1 seconds – largely unprecedented among modern road cars.

Given that no previous mention was made about this unheard-of 1.1-second 0-60 time, Tesla fans were undoubtedly curious to get an official comment from Musk. Not surprisingly, he replied via Twitter confirming that the performance benchmark:

Musk went on in another tweet to say that the production roadster will look even better than the prototype you see above.

Even without the SpaceX package, the Roadster is impressive on multiple fronts. Tesla previously claimed that the four-seater has all-wheel drive courtesy of three electric motors (one up front, two in the rear) and can hit 0-100 mph in just 4.2 seconds. The 1/4-mile run takes just 8.8 seconds, and the Roadster can hit a claimed 250+ mph if you give it enough track to stretch its legs.

Tesla has outfitted the Roadster with a massive 200 kWh battery pack, which is good for up to 620 miles of range per charge. The Tesla Roadster is priced from $200,000 and requires a reservation fee of $50,000. There's also a Founder Series, of which only 1,000 are being made, that costs $250,000. However, you'll have to plunk down the entire $250,000 cost of the vehicle to secure that reservation.

The car was initially supposed to go into production in 2020, but in typical Tesla fashion, that timeframe has come and gone.